Thursday, April 28, 2011

I have a lot of friends who are having babies or buying gifts for baby showers. So, I thought I would share a few of my (new) favorite things:

BOB Revolution Jogging Stoller:
This stroller is such a smooth ride over even the biggest of bumps. I have used it a ton while walking around the neighborhood and it is so helpful when I am desperate to put Palmer to sleep. Palmer gets in the stroller and is quickly soothed by the outdoor sounds and rolling ride. I laugh that he usually falls asleep within three houses of ours.

Seven Sling:

I've already bragged about this thing in a previous post. It's such a life saver for being able to hold Palmer and have hands free to do other things.

Baby Bjorn Air:
Along the same lines as above, the Baby Bjorn is great, too. I got the Air in anticipation for the Texas heat because it breathes better than the regular version.

Swaddling Blankets:
These are a must for the early days. My favorite brands are the Miracle Blanket with all of the flaps to really ensure a tight swaddle and the Summer Infant Swaddling Blanket with its sure-to-stay velcro tabs. (Our little baby Houdini does still manage to get his arms out of both, but it takes him several hours in the night to accomplish the feat!)

Aiden and Anais Muslin Blankets:
These are great for swaddling, too, but I really like them as a light-weight muslin blanket for the Texas heat. I always have one in the diaper bag and use it for everything from covering up when nursing in public to covering the carseat from curious stranger hands.

Infant Timer iPhone App:
This timer is brilliant for the early days when you are timing everything from the last feeding to how long a nap is to the last poo. I use it often (especially when sleep deprivation makes it hard to remember even the simplest of things!)

Cloud B Gentle Giraffe Sound Machine:
Palmer's giraffe is an essential part of his bedtime routine. I love the white noise setting or the night-time setting to signal for Palmer to get serious and go to sleep. He also has a similar lamb that we will use when he goes to school this fall.

Play Mat:
I like the Infantino Square Twist and Fold Gym (because it looks less "baby" than most toys and therefore not as awful in the living room), but any play mat will do. It's sometimes hard to figure out how to play with an infant for hours each day. The play mat keeps Palmer captivated with the little animals that hang over his head. It's been fun to see him develop from not even noticing the overhead toys to now batting and grabbing for them.

The following things can't be bought, but are also some new lifesavers.

Drive Thru:
I never appreciated how easy it was to be able to get in and out of the car until I had a 20 lb carseat with me at all times. Now, I'm always thinking in terms of where I might be able to drive thru to run an errand (ie the bank, the pharmacy, Starbucks, etc.)

Starbucks:
And since I mentioned Starbucks above...thank goodness for your sweet caffeine to get me thru the day after many many sleepless nights. And even better, a DRIVE THRU STARBUCKS. There is one a few miles from my house and I will go out of my way to hit this up instead of the closer walk-in options.

American Idol:
I've never been a fan of American Idol until I had Palmer. I don't know if it's because I am now more home-confined in the evenings or if I like the calming effect the music has on Palmer. But regardless, I am excited for Wednesday nights when I didn't even know what night Idol was on a mere month ago. :)

PS In the first picture of this post, Palmer is wearing an outfit that Rick wore as a child. Rick's mother was great about saving a lot of his cute little outfits!

This was another one of those stressful mornings trying to get the whole family in their Easter Sunday best all the while taking time for feeding and naps and avoiding any major spit-up, etc. on all three of us before we actually left the house.

We also took time to take photos with Palmer's new Easter basket (thanks Aunt Adrienne) before we headed out to church.

Gram made the special smocked Easter outfit and it brought back memories of my siblings and me wearing our newly smocked outfits made by my mom for Easter. (My mom was especially mad the year that I did cartwheels in my new Easter dress, ripped the back of the dress and I had to write a paper about why that was not appropriate behavior.)

This was Palmer's first Sunday to attend church and we learned about a section of the sanctuary we had never paid attention to before: the back row. Our seats were as close as possible to the door in case Palmer woke during the service. What we had never realized before was that this section is filled with other frantic parents with the same mission. We were surrounded by small babies and toddlers being vigorously entertained with books, ipods, and snacks.

Luckily, Palmer didn't stir thru the entire service and was especially peaceful when the choir sang along with the gorgeous Dallas Symphony music.

After brunch, we headed over to our neighborhood's annual Easter parade/hunt/party. Can I just say that I love our neighborhood. It is one of those rare gems in this country where everybody actually knows everybody. The neighborhood is eccentric and has great traditions of hosting large holiday events. In the spring, neighbors work for days on floats that cast a spin on the traditional Easter images.

The genius Scott Taylor crafted this Macy's style bunny float and Rick was one of the "handlers" for the parade. Scott, we now have big expectations for you every year. :)

Palmer was completely entertained when the float finally parked itself for the day at Scott's house. Palmer stared at the balloons above his head for a long time.

Friday, April 22, 2011

After spending the first two weeks of Palmer's life worrying about if he was getting ENOUGH to eat, I am now tackling with a new worry: Is he getting too MUCH to eat? Our little boy is officially getting some rolls. I guess a healthy baby is a happy baby, right? We'll see how much he weighs at the pediatrician's office soon enough. :)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

This week was the first time for the Jordan family to be all alone together. We had wonderful (and much needed) help for the first few weeks and this was the start of establishing a new sense of normality.

So, what did we do? Well, we took Palmer to a sports bar to cheer on the Rangers. Palmer is happiest when he is out and about. :)

Palmer couldn't keep his eyes off of the game:

During the day, it's just Palmer and me and we are quickly starting to establish a new rhythm and routine. This, in turn, has resulted in Palmer waking up less in the middle of the night. I had to check my watch several times when he slept for five hours straight a few nights ago. I just couldn't believe it.
I am quickly learning how to maneuver around the house using one hand while carrying Palmer in the other. And THE SLING is my absolute new favorite thing. Suddenly, I can hold Palmer and have hands free to do other things. It's genius. I trimmed bushes in the front yard yesterday all while carrying Palmer in the sling. Amazing.

Sometimes, my morning playmate falls asleep on me:

Palmer's first official play date with Clint and Katie's son, Charlie. (As you can see from his face, Charlie was THRILLED to have a new friend.)

Charlie was really interested in Palmer's play mat:

The only problem was, Charlie had loftier goals for the play mat. He turned it into a tent.

The two boys will be rough-housing before we know it!

Here is Palmer's main play mate, Boston. They have already formed a close bond in the few short weeks:

Palmer took a break from his busy social calendar to visit daddy in his office. As usual, he slept thru the entire outing.

Aunt Samantha took Palmer shopping and said he was an excellent shopping companion: